Berry-tastic Gin

Berry's are an essential and common botanical in gin, juniper berries must always be present, cubeb berries sometimes join them to add a peppery spice, berries which are rarely used in gin are those we consume on a regular basis, blackberries and blueberries are infant a rather unusual botanical to find in gin.

The gin I am talking about is Brockmans Gin, one of those new western dry styles we hear so much about these days. and in true form of this new style of gin Brockmans far removed from the classic juniper heavy styles often associated with the category.

The label claims the liquid inside carries with it subtle aromas of berry, personally the first smell was like being kicked in the face by Chuck Norris with a bramble bush attached to his foot, there is an ever so slight whiff of juniper, think juniper under the influence of horse tranquillisers and you would be on the right track.    

On the palate Brockmans is pretty smooth, as promised, there is a degree of sweetness with the berry notes once again proving dominant, I find an almost peppery spice which I often associate with coriander, juniper makes the occasional brief appearance but certainly does not hang around for too long.

The chaps at Brockmans claim this is a new gin experience, a claim which is certainly substantiated by the unique flavour profile, although it does raise  the question once again niggles at the back of my mind, is juniper the dominant flavour, the necessary requirement for a gin to be a gin?

A rather enjoyable gin, smooth and sweet, it definitely stands out from the crowd, I also find it refreshing for a gin to be intended to be drunk straight rather than made to mix. This would be a perfect gin for those uninitiated in the ways of juniper heavy spirits.

We hope you enjoy

Umpleby & Brown